Holgado, Ruth Belle A.

BTVTED 1101

Types
of
Hard hats
 According to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), a hard hat must be

worn “when working in areas where there is a potential for injury to the head from falling objects.” In

addition, a hard hat must also be worn in working areas where there is the risk of exposure to

electrical conductors that can potentially contact the head .

Hard hats are designed to protect one of the most important parts of

the human body.

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has put together

a list to help ensure you have the right protection for the job.

ANSI divided protective helmets into different types and classes. A

hard hat type indicates the designated level of impact protection, while a hard hat class indicates the

degree of electrical performance.

TYPES OF HARD HATS

According to ANSI Z89.1 all hard hats can be divided into two types. Type I and Type II.

Type I: Have a full brim around the entire hat. These are only mean to

protect workers from object blows that come from above and strike the top of

the helmet. It intended to reduce the force of impact resulting from a blow

only to the top of the head. This form of impact, for example, may result from

a hammer or nail gun falling from above.

Type II: Have a short brim only in front. These hard hats are designed

to offer protection from lateral blows and objects. This includes front and

back, and side as well as top. These hard hats are also test for off-center

penetration resistance and chin strap retention. Type II are the most

commonly found hard hat in use.

CLASSES OF HARD HATS

Hard Hats are also divided into classes to indicate how well they protect against shock.

Class E (Electrical) Hard Hats are designed to reduce exposure to high voltage conductors, and

offer dielectric protection up to 20,000 volts (phase to ground). Class E (Electrical) Can withstand up

to 20,000 volts of electricity.

Class G (General) Hard Hats are designed to reduce exposure to low voltage conductors,

and offer dielectric protection up to 2,200 volts (phase to ground). Class G (General) Can withstand

up to 2,200 colts of electricity.

Class C (Conductive) Hard Hats may include vented options, such as the MSA V-Gard 500

Hard Hat , which not only protect the wearer from impact, but also provide increased breathability

through their conductive material (such as aluminum) or added ventilation. Class C (Conductive)

These offer no protection from electric shock.